1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an adapter for treatment of a medical appliance, preferably a dental rotary instrument, comprising a fluid channel with an inlet and at least one outlet, at least one outlet being provided with a coupling means for an opening of a medical device. The invention also includes a set of equipment composed of an adapter and of a fluid container. The invention further relates to a method for treatment of the medical device using the adapter and the set of equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical devices that are contaminated by cells, blood, proteins, bacteria, physiological liquids or the like during use have to be thoroughly decontaminated and disinfected after each application. Only in this way can modern hygiene standards in the medical sector be guaranteed.
Dentistry in particular is affected by these demands. Rotary instruments (handpieces or angle pieces) for drills and similar tools have to be cleaned and disinfected or treated after each use on the patient. For this purpose, appliances already exist that carry out this work fully automatically. The fully automatic procedure guarantees complete cleaning and disinfection of the inside and outside of the rotary instruments and reduces the risk of germs being transferred from patient to patient. However, because of their cost, such appliances are as yet used only to a limited extent in industrialized nations.
Simpler mechanical versions exist as an alternative and are far less expensive. These are, for example, special adapters through which decontaminating or disinfecting sprays can be connected directly to the rotary instruments to be treated, in order to clean them on the inside. However, such devices require the involvement of a specialist, who carries out the cleaning procedure with great care in accordance with more or less elaborate instructions.
The disadvantage of using such adapters is that they too can become contaminated when coupled to the rotary instruments and, consequently, also have to be cleaned and disinfected. This represents an additional and risky step in the overall cleaning and disinfecting method.